Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

At last, on Monday 16 January 2017, have finally received an NBN Fixed Wireless Broadband set up that does not cause interference to AM Local Radio. We usually listen to ABC Local Radio out of Bunbury via 684 MW or 1044 MW, the former is the stronger signal.Eighteen months ago Fixed Wireless Broadband was installed and it instantly caused massive interference to the local AM Radio. NBN provided a workaround in the form of providing an external antenna and a digital radio. This worked for a year or so but in the past few months the signal had deteriorated to the extent that there was always a buzz in the background (unless the FWB was turned off, but that rather defeats the purpose).In late November 2016 contacted Telstra and with lots of to-and-froing finally got through to NBN which organised for an updated FWB set up that was designed to reduce AM radio interference.Here are images of the product labels showing version IDs and here is the new Outdoor Unit in place and working.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

Thanks for explanation. I took the radio to the front veranda (away from the cable linking the antenna to the Connection Box) and it worked although still a bit of noise. So maybe a shielded cable. Will see if I can get a message through to NBN.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

The saga continues. I have reported the problem that the installation of the NBN has caused interference to the Local ABC Radio South West in the AM Band on 1044 out of Bridgetown and 684 out of Busselton, WA. So far all I have from Telstra is a number to ring 1800 620 272 or 02 4924 9744 (the latter has always been engaged when I have rung) with a complaint number: SR 1 - 525302654214. I have rung several times over the past week or so and got nowhere. Complaints do not work on the weekends.

The ABC Radio is our emergency channel and I am not happy that I have been given the NBN, but have had the AM radio taken away. I have set it up to work on my iPad but it is clumsy to restart and the sound is tinny. The radio set has batteries so it would work in any situation. Although I suppose if we lost power - which we often do - the NBN would not work but the radio would. Although if it is not used very often it may not work in the rush of an emergency.

I note that a previous case occurred in February last year which was fixed three months later. Surely we can do better than this as it is now a known problem which may effect numbers of households in bushfire-prone areas as the NBN is rolled out in SW WA.

If a private company took an action which took away another service I am sure they would try to remedy the situation promptly. If the problem were not fixed within a few days I would be justified in taking them to the ACCC on the grounds of product not being fit for purpose in that the installation of one service removed another.

I want to have my radio working again on AM and not have to wait three months before NBN gets around to doing something.

The ABC TV show, Utopia, is eerily prescient in highlighting how we can be caught up in the bureaucracy when we just want, in this case, the simple replacement of an antenna and possibly the connection box.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

The problem continues and after over four weeks of obtaining various complaint IDs I was told on Tuesday 18 August that NBN could do nothing to remedy the interference on the AM radio. The radio worked fine when the NBN connection box was turned off and as soon as the power to the NBN connection box was switched on, the radio interference returned. I was told I should contact ACMA as they were the body that investigated radio interference.

Yesterday I rang ACMA and they pointed out how I could find the form to start the investigation. I was encouraged to check with others in the neighbourhood to see if they were having similar problems. However, this area is sparsely populated and in many of the valleys they can't get AM radio let alone mobile or NBN Fixed Wireless Broadband anyway. I've asked several people but few have actually got NBN though are interested.

I asked whether there were any ACMA representatives in WA and they said "no" but once they had several similar complaints they would consider sending someone to investigate. I realized that this could take months so rang the local contractor from Manjimup who had installed the NBN infrastructure. They got back to me today and told me that they had done the standard installation as instucted and were not aware of any problems. Unless instructed they could not do anything.

So back today to Telstra. I used my Platinum service at the start which may have speeded it up a little. I now have a new NBN reference No. 157278888 and they will contact me by cob on Monday 24 August (hopefully). Maybe they will send someone out to check it out for themselves and then maybe there will be an attempt to remedy the problem.

I was advised by the Minister for Communications Office that the problem likely lay in the antenna and that that and the connection box would need to be changed. That was four weeks ago but there has really been no advance.

I am rather cheesed off to say the least. If anything happens next week I'll be surprized, but very pleased.

I wonder if fixed wireless broadband takes into account the fact that AM local radio in the regions is often borderline in strength so it doesn't take much interference to overwhelm the signal.

NB the ABC app for listening to AM Local Radio eg for SW Radio does not work - yet. I have to get onto via my browser and the volume on the iPad is quite low.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

A similar complaint was raised early last year when someone in Victoria experienced a similar problem with Fixed Wireless Broadband interfering with ABC AM Radio. It took three months to rectify with a different version antenna and connection box. Here is the link which may work, otherwise search on "radio".

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

Another day with not much progress to restore operability to my radio, though a couple of journalists in local papers may use the story of how installing NBN Fixed Wireless Broadband can obliterate your AM Radio signal.

Hopefully there may be some progress from the Minister's office in the next day or so. The problem is now five weeks old and nothing has advanced.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

NBN co are not fast with getting anything fixed. It is a true beurocratic organisation. They are a joke to get anything from. My friend has a NBN box attached to the house and an ntd inside the house but can't get it connected because NBN co are saying there is no NBN box, so they make them arrange a new tech who comes out and says there is already a box and then it repeates. They have been going through this for like 4 months now. They have even tried two providers to see if it was just one being useless, didn't help, they have two orders with two providers and can't get either actually connected.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

Today we made some progress in that we now have a formal incident report compiled by Telstra technicians that has been successfully logged with NBN Co. In my later phone call to NBN/Telstra I was told that the problem of radio interference was being examined by the NBN wireless people and that I could expect some sort of response within 24 to 48 hours.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

We're in SE Qld, and have the same problem with our Fixed Wireless installation causing interference to AM radio reception.

We logged it with our (non-Telstra) ISP in mid-July. The interior NTD and roof-top box were swapped some time back with no effect, thouh NBN advised our ISP that the problem had been resolved. The ticket was re-opened and lat week we undertook some NBN prescribed diagnostics over the phone which apparently showed it is the rooftop device causing the interference.

To cause interference the ethernet cable out of the NTD must be connected (to PC or router, router can be bypassed) , and the interference only starts after rooftop device starts to transmit/receive, which is a little while after power is turned on.

Hope it helps that there are others with the same problem, not just the earlier one from Victoria.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

Good to hear that you no longer have interference on your AM radio caused by the installation of Fixed Wireless Broadband.

I have been hoping that by now I would have had a resolution of the problem. Ten days ago I had an NBN contractor arrive and he replaced the outside antenna with a new one that was fitted with an "AM blocker" maybe it was meant to be called an "AM interference blocker" but it made no difference.

I still can't listen to AM radio on my tradies radio specially bought to listen to ABC South West Local Radio out of Bunbury, the station that broadcasts the Emergency Alerts. It is plugged into the mains but runs on batteries as well.

The contractor made the point that although he had not seen this problem before, he considered the cable running from the external antenna to the internal connector box should have had more shielding than it appeared to have. He recommended a Cat 8 cable and thought that the one that was installed must have been an earlier type. He also thought that the antenna could have been mounted on the roof above the office rather than on the other side of the house. The cable runs underneath about half of the house. Everywhere in the house there is interference on the radio.

The contractor noted that the house has a metal roof and I told him that we had underfloor insulation that was like an alfoil "sandwich" that was attached under the floorboards. The house is on stumps and is typical of many dwellings in SW WA in that it is a jarrah weatherboard.

Last week I received a text from Telstra saying, " NBN are currently waiting for your indoor equipment to arrive, will reschedule an appointment with you when needed. Sorry for any inconvenience."

I texted back though it would not send, " Thank you. It may be worth replacing the cable with Cat 8 shielded cable and moving the antenna to above office to reduce interference in this weak radio signal area."

It's now over two months since the NBN was installed and I would love to be able to listen to the radio again in the usual way. The streaming radio from the iPad is fiddly to turn on and volume is not very good.

It is encouraging to see that Blue2 in Queensland can now listen to AM radio without interference. I live in hope!

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

AM Radio Coverage: The puzzle of why the interference to AM Radio by NBN Fixed Wireless Broadband has not been more widely reported.

Fixed Wireless Broadband is being implemented in rural areas, outskirts of towns and other areas where population is not very dense as it is not cost effective to install "fibre to the node".

These outer areas in many cases will have regional radio that has a fairly weak signal. In SW WA the countryside is hilly with lots of hidden valleys - beautiful scenery but poor transmission of radio signals. We, in Balingup, receive 684 out of Busselton or 1044 out of Bridgetown of the AM Local Radio out of Bunbury. At our house we have a big hill to the NW so we listen to 1044 from Bridgetown from the south where the signal strength is slightly better.

I have been asking locals as to whether they have NBN and/or whether they can listen to ABC Local Radio.ABC local Radio is important because it is another way to receive information if there is an emergency. Other ways of receiving information may be affected by power outages, mobiles not working, computer needing power, etc.

It turns out not many people even listen to the ABC Local Radio. Often the signal is too weak or non-existent. People may listen to it only in their car as it is the most convenient way. For others they listen only to FM Radio or they receive radio via a streaming method which is now possible with NBN Fixed Wireless Broadband, as long as there is power.

For emergency management reasons having operational AM ABC Local Radio is vital, because in a bushfire or storm it may be the only way of communication. A battery-powered portable radio is recommended by the Department of Fire and Emergency services so that householders can listen to the Emergency Alerts.

The effect of the installation of Fixed Wireless Broadband to interfere with AM Radio is almost certainly being under-estimated because AM Radio may not be routinely listened to in these marginal areas.

We need to improve the coverage and boost the signal strength of AM Radio and ensure it is not affected by interference such as that caused by the NBN Fixed Wireless Broadband.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

Contractor to NBN has been this morning and installed a prototype InDoor Unit (IDU).

To go back a few weeks. We had a technician contracted to NBN Co who came out on 17 September and replaced the OutDoor Unit (ODU) which is like an antenna. Apparently it had an AM blocker on it. This made no difference. We still had the radio interference on the Local ABC Radio station on 1044 from Bridgetown.

A couple of weeks later on 1 October we had the same technician come back and install a new InDoor Unit (IDU). This improved the radio reception a little such that we could just make out what was said but there was still a lot of background noise which made listening uncomfortable. I refused to sign off to the effect that the problem was fixed even though the technician said it was.

I was given the name of a person in NBN Co who rang me on 7 October. This person told me that there were two other instances of this interference happening in Australia and they were developing a prototype IDU that should stop the interference with the AM radio. NBN were making 60 of these and only expected to use about 30 in Australia.

A local NBN contractor came today and replaced the IDU with a prototype IDU, but this made no difference. He then changed the ODU, but this made it worse. He was in touch with Ericsson techicians who are the main contractors for supplying the fixed wireless broadband. This was then changed back to what we had on the roof at the start of today. Interference was less but still poor reception.

Then the prototype IDU was replaced with the one that had been on this morning first up and it was about the same.

Thus weeks on and we are still not receiving reasonable AM radio reception (unless we turn off the NBN which rather defeats the purpose).

I'm over NBN Fixed Wireless Broadband. In itself in works well but by interfering with radio reception it means that we are without radio and its emergency messages.

With the bushfire season upon us. We need a remedy. Fast!

As I said on 21 July, NBN stole my radio or as good as. I want it back and compensation for all the messing around that we have had to put up with.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

Today, the technicians were pointing the finger at the OutDoor Unit as the part that needed changing to stop the interference. As one said the antenna sends out a big bubble of radio noise capable of interfering with the radio. So maybe the prototype has to be the ODU rather than the IDU.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

Here is a copy of the letter written to Ericsson who supply the Fixed Wireless Broadband equipment.

To Ericsson management,

Three months ago as part of the NBN rollout I received the Fixed Wireless Broadband set up. I understand that Ericsson are the prime contractors for the Fixed Wireless Broadband component of the NBN project. The installation went smoothly and the internet connection worked well with increased speeds and 500 GB download per month.

Then I switched on the radio late that afternoon and found my usual AM Local Radio station out of Bunbury WA was swamped by radio interference. I contacted, with many bureaucratic obstacles, my ISP, Telstra, who eventually got a message in the right format to NBN Co.

I have now had three visits from contractors from NBN Co - the last yesterday - who have changed both the antenna, the ODU, and the inside connecting box, the IDU, at least twice. The last IDU was a special prototype but it made no difference to the interference. All this has brought about a slight improvement to radio reception, though it is still not listenable.

Before the installation I received the best signal from 1044 Mw transmitted from Bridgetown 30 kms down the road which transmits ABC South West Local Radio.

I did some further tests today using an older style radio with a dial that has a marker that can be moved along showing the position when the radio is tuned to a station. In the kitchen, where we usually listen to the radio, I was able to pick up clearly and easily, ABC Local Radio from Wagin on 558. Moving the marker along I tuned into 684 out of Busselton. The noise level was low, but the signal was quite faint as we have a big hill between us and the transmitter. Once in the car and along the road about a km away we can hear 684 quite well. Moving the marker further on I hit a wall of static/interference starting around about 900 which continued through to about 1200.

We are in a bushfire prone area. The ABC Local Radio SW station out of Bunbury carries the emergency alerts for fires and storms, etc. The Wagin station transmits from Albany which is in another region so no good for us with respect to local news and alerts.

The procedures to fix this problem are not working effectively. I am spending many hours carrying out tests and trying to bring about a solution to the problem. It is hard to find someone who I can talk to and describe the problem. I sense that Telstra, NBN Co, Ericsson, contractors and the endusers are not communicating very well. The result is that I have a problem - not of my making - of not being able to listen to my radio with summer and the bushfire season approaching. It may well be that others are experiencing the same sort of interference, but have not reported it or who don’t or can’t listen to ABC Local Radio.

I realize that Ericsson is contracted to NBN Co which is itself a wholesaler, with the ISP, Telstra, the retailer being my service provider and theoretically the contact point. However, for weeks now I have been going through these conventional channels and have hardly made any progress.

A removal of the radio interference coming from the NBN-supplied equipment to be able to listen easily to my local ABC Radio would be appreciated.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

I learnt today that a subdivision north of Donnybrook in SW WA, Argyle, does not have AM radio reception at all. It now has an NBN tower in place so residents would be able to stream ABC Local Radio via their Fixed Wireless Broadband set up.

So they don't have a problem of the NBN equipment causing interference to the radio signal because there is no signal getting through anyway! Most seem to have mobile coverage which could be made useful for Alerts and Warnings in case of bushfire or storm especially if they have a phone with the blue tick made for rural areas.

However, the first resource to go in the event of an emergency is usually the power. So let's hope the power is backed up otherwise communications will come to a standstill.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

This Saturday 21 November 2015 decided to use my Platinum service with Telstra and call them in order to get them to try to fix the NBN Fixed Wireless Broadband causing interference to my AM radio.

As the retailer of the service, and my being the customer, Telstra has a contract with me to provide a service. At present I am paying for an inferior broadband service because when the Fixed Wireless Broadband is turned on there is the side effect of severe interference on the AM Radio station South West Regional Radio which is transmitted to me on 1044 from Bridgetown. The power of that transmitter is small only 1Kw whereas the signal from Wagin on 558 comes from much further away and is fine when the NBN FWB is connected. It has a transmitter with 50 Kw so produces a good signal to noise ratio even at some distance.

The drawback with receiving ABC Regional Radio from Wagin is that the content is coming from the Great Southern not the South West and although regional it is not localized. Emergency Warnings may not be broadcast from Wagin if they relate to the South West.

I am hopeful that Telstra will support this customer (me) vigorously to achieve a solution because I am not the only resident in the South West affected. A person from Donnybrook (a town 30 km north of us) called into the ABC to say that he has to turn off his FWB each night so he can listen to local regional ABC radio. The interference on his AM radio with NBN on is very strong.

With the Esperance bushfires still not over it is a timely reminder that we need to make the best use of all the communication channels when it comes to timely information in an emergency. One piece of technology - Fixed Wireless Broadband - should not render ABC Local Radio useless. It is the Emergency Channel on the AM band.

A report on the problem appeared in the Weekend Australian, 14-15 November, 2015 on page 11, The Nation. The article highlighted the problem I am experiencing at my property in Balingup in SW WA.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

Where we are in the South West of WA does not have good AM radio reception. Ours has been adequate, 1044 from Bridgetown, but the signal is weak and we have to tune it carefully at the best of times to get good reception.

NBN Fixed Wireless Broadband introduced a source of interference which in areas having a strong radio signal would have had negligible effect, but for those of us in marginal strength areas the effect was instant and substantial. For much of the time the radio was unlistenable. See the image below or go to the web site. http://reception.abc.net.au/Reception.aspx

We are in the red area for ABC Local Radio which means that reception is not very good.

When we realized we had a problem of interference to the AM ABC Local Radio station we contacted Telstra who are the telecommunications Retail Service Providers ie of the broadband set up. It took a while to organize as outlined in previous posts, but it is essential to go through the RSP that residents use. It is quite a technical process because the request has to be couched in technical terms using the proper protocols. Telstra, once they realized there was a problem, have been very supportive and I would recommend them to everyone in country Australia.

After changes to both the indoor unit (IDU) and the outdoor unit (ODU) that only gave a slight improvement, NBN Co and Ericsson, decided on another approach. This was to boost the radio signal by the use of an external antenna and to use a recent radio that was designed to make the best of difficult conditions. Last Thursday, 17 December, the Loop Antenna was installed at the edge of a gable and connected by cable to the radio in the kitchen. The radio is digitally tuned so it is definitely on the station. The PK Loop Antenna is connected to a box next to the radio which can be tuned to screen out the interference. The setup has worked beautifully.

For the first time for five months we have been able to listen to the radio normally including for bushfire alerts.

The radio comes with batteries which are charged up when the power is on. So it can work as a portable radio. Once away from the house and the Fixed Wireless Broadband and without its connection to the Loop Antenna it works satisfactorily picking up 1044 from the Bridgetown transmitter to the south of us.

The two components would cost about $400 plus installation and incidentals. The antenna is called C-LOOP-HDLRAM

This set up would be applicable for other installations of NBN Fixed Wireless Broadband where AM radio reception is not very strong.

It could also be used in those areas, of which there are many in the South West of WA, who can't receive AM Radio. The antenna and radio combination might make a difference and give greater safety by being able to listen to bushfire and other emergency alerts.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

A friend who is a Ham radio operator has just this week had an NBN technician install new version outdoor & indoor units, which has at last resolved his AM broadcast & shortwave band interference issues. Both units are the V2 variety & look identical to the earlier devices, but with an important distinction - they are both labelled as "Rev 1b" versions. He is apparently one of the very first customers to receive this new equipment. He was in direct contact with the NBN engineering folk and he was able to give them very specific information on the frequencies eminating from the NBN equipment that were causing the interference.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

Interesting to hear about this. What I got was a 'workaround' which did not solve the real problem of interference emanating from the NBN equipment. instead December 2015 I was provided, by NBN Co, with a new digital radio which could be precisely tuned to the local AM ABC station in SW WA and an external antenna. This set up worked ok but only whilst the radio was plugged into the external antenna. I can't use the radio anywhere else in the house because I get the interference from the NBN Fixed Wireless Broadband set up. I noticed this as a problem earlier this year when I wanted to listen to the radio elsewhere in the house whilst there were ongoing bushfires in the region.

In the past couple of months AM radio reception has deteriorated and I constanly get background noice sometimes to the extent that I turn off the radio. I can tune the external antenna, which can improve the signal to noise ratio but there is still static at all times - unless i turn off the NBN Fixed Wireless Broadband, of course. Turning off the NBN is pointless because then I obviously don't get internet, emails, nor wifi in the house.

Thanks for letting me know about the ODU and IDU "Rev 1b" versions. How can one get in touch with the NBN engineering folk?

We have another bushfire season coming up within three months and it is imperative that we have as many options as possible to access information.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

NBN Fixed Wireless Broadband installed today. Great! We now have massive interference on our ABC Local Radio station 1044 from Bridgetown WA. We do want to listen to radio as well as have broadband.

Well then, Good News! you can stream all ABC Broadcasts. For Android there are a couple of apps that contain all ABC Radio stations in the one app. its great I use it. I love news radio too. Lately I have using streamed news radio (from ABC) more and more. now the only time I use analog radio is in the car. any other time I am streaming it.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

Streaming ABC Local Radio does not always deliver the local radio station. Important for us as we live in a fire prone area and want to listen for Alerts. We are in the country and there is only the AM band to listen for the Local Radio station out of Bunbury - ABC Local SW Radio. With an external antenna the reception is sometimes passable but lately it has increased static.

No, NBN Fixed Wireless Broadband has caused the interference.They have provided me with a work-around which is barely satisfactory.

Really NBN needs to fix the primary problem - their equipment is causing interference to a local AM Radio station. This is against the law, interference with a carriage service.

I heard somewhere that there is later equipment that does not cause interference, but hard to find out more.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

I have requested that Telstra take the necessary steps to convey details of the fault with the Fixed Wireless Broadband to NBN. I now have an Incident No. 000003533282.

Yesterday I tried using the call back link on my phone where the Telstra agent is to get back to me in 45 minutes, but nothing.

I have just tried again on another link I had but don't know if that will work.

On Tuesday 13 December I spent two hours on the phone to Telstra trying to get action on the issue of the interference caused by the NBN Fixed Wireless Broadband to AM local radio on the 1044 or 684 MV bands. I spent a very long time detailing the fact that whenever the FWB is on the radio signal experiences interference. The problem is somewhat resolved by having an external antenna connected to amplify the signal, but often the radio has too much static for listening to it.

If I switch off the FWB the signal is fine, but then that means I don't have the internet, nor email, etc.

The bureaucratic structures between Telstra and NBN are cumbersome and unwieldy. I spent so much time trying to answer technical questions about the problem to someone probably in the Phillipines with an accent and not much technical knowledge.

A call has come through so I hope I may be able to get information on progress of the solution to reduce the radio interference from FWB.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

At last, on Monday 16 January 2017, have finally received an NBN Fixed Wireless Broadband set up that does not cause interference to AM Local Radio. We usually listen to ABC Local Radio out of Bunbury via 684 MW or 1044 MW, the former is the stronger signal.Eighteen months ago Fixed Wireless Broadband was installed and it instantly caused massive interference to the local AM Radio. NBN provided a workaround in the form of providing an external antenna and a digital radio. This worked for a year or so but in the past few months the signal had deteriorated to the extent that there was always a buzz in the background (unless the FWB was turned off, but that rather defeats the purpose).In late November 2016 contacted Telstra and with lots of to-and-froing finally got through to NBN which organised for an updated FWB set up that was designed to reduce AM radio interference.Here are images of the product labels showing version IDs and here is the new Outdoor Unit in place and working.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

Thanks Montaza. We have just had NBN installed in Bakers Hill WA and immediately experienced the same radio issue (no signal at all but specifically no radio signal for bushfire emergency warnings).

Here's what's been done so far:

23 MARCH 2017 I rang Telsta 13 22 00: they say that because there is no actual fault with the equipment, we should call NBN.

24 MARCH 2017 I sent a web form to NBN (linking to your crowd support post): they emailed back saying that it's not their problem and we should call our Retail Service Provider (Telstra).

24 MARCH 2017 I sent another enquiry to Telstra (this time via a web form to keep written records); stating NBN's response. I await their reply but am expecting more duck shoving or 'to and froing' as you say.

In the meantime Montaza, would you please clarify: did you phone NBN direct, who agreed to fix the issue with replacement equipment? Or did you ring Telstra direct and it was they who arranged for the technician to come out (again) and install the work-around equipment shown on your images?

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

Commiserations! It took me months to convince NBN that there was a problem with their equipment.

I had to go through Telstra initially but eventually got through to NBN because it was essentially an NBN problem. I received a work-around solution from NBN, ie as you may have seen in the Crowdsupport posts, I was given a digital radio and an external antenna which boosted the radio signal so I could hear it better above the static. This was about Christmas 2015.

However by late last year the static caused by NBN Fixed Wireless Broadband equipment had got worse so I tried again to get the problem fixed. Again I also tried through Telstra but as it's not their equipment and they don't seem to know what is going on, I also went direct to a contact I had had with nbnco.

My original contact had moved on but another person from nbnco contacted me on 6 December 2016.

Here is a copy of their email to me.

01077037

My apologies for the delay in responding to your email; <named removed> no longer works for nbn and this has contributed to the delay.

I can see that the radio interference issue was addressed in late 2015 early 2016, however it has returned.

I have created a new case and my colleague Michael Cauchi will make contact with you and work with you to resolve the issue. If the issue is still happening can I ask that you report a fault to your service provider and ask it to lodge an incident against nbn for radio interference. This should result in a technician visit and Michael can liaise with you and field teams.

Kind Regards

Please note that nbn Case Management will be closed from the afternoon of 23 December 2016 and will reopen on 3 January 2017. Have a Happy Christmas and Safe New Year.

Gerard<details removed>

I kept contacting both Telstra and nbnco, but there were plenty of gaps in communications. There are contractors to nbnco and subcontractors so I had to be persistent. Anyway, late in 2016 the updated equipment arrived by post. It would appear that both the Outdoor Unit (the antenna, ODU) and the Indoor Unit (box on the wall, IDU) have to be revised versions that suppress wireless interference. Here is a pic with the codes showing revision numbers in bottom RH corner. nbnco contractors then organized a local subcontractor to change over the ODU and the IDU and the radio interference ceased. For the first time in 18 months I could have both the NBN Fixed Wireless Broadband on at the same time with no interference. I tried to keep Telstra in the loop, but not easy to get through. From memory I told Telstra it was fixed as they had not been informed. Hope this helps - be persistent!

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

Apologies, but no where in this thread have I seen any evidence of a redesign of either the Indoor or Outdoor units to absolutely NOT splatter RF about where it's not wanted or needed. That's with WiFi on, or off.

All I see are patches and cludges to lessen the impact of what is obviously a Bad Design or three, and I suspect that at least one of those mentioned will be shifting the 'noise' to a band less used by us peoples. Let's hope it doesn't turn every outdoor antenna into some diabolical black box that stuffs up NDB and VOR aviation beacons. Half a joke, right there:-)

If you let NBN Co. get away with this rubbish at the get-go, expect more of the same for ever more.

(That translates as 'You'll be sorry')

ACMA – are you listening?

Add in the tosh about being able to stream content etc, and there you have it - the nascent NBN it right off the bat treating it's customers with zero respect.

Respect? well consider this - you and I are being force-fed a solution that saturates us with RF. So, OK, we can possibly forgive that - after all, we're already being slow-roasted by the stuff with the mobile network, our own wireless networks etc etc. but clearly the chance to have No RF radiation associated with the NBN (as supplied to a minority, natch) has been sacrificed on the altar of political expediency. We see that in the future, measurements of exposure will likely be based on the actual op frequencies and further those measurements will not include the bonus rubbish emitted continuously all over the place, yes - right down to ye olde AM radio long wave. We've been listening to crackle and pop AM for a very long time indeed.

Those crackles and pops are from the environment, and tolerated. Brave New World says we get to accept new sources of interference from garbage pedalled to us in the name of progress?

Don't think so.

So, there ya go - NBN MINORITY Customers - something to think about.

Respect.

You, and we, don't deserve it. Apparently.

Engineers in attendance? You should know exactly what I'm on about. Yet another profession failure.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

The updated equipment from NBN installed this year worked in that we had ABC Local AM Radio from the SW without a huge amount of static. It took a while to be able to listen to the radio easily, but after 18 months we have a similar reception from that which we had before NBN Fixed Wireless Broadband was connected in July 2015. It has been very frustrating but it does work now.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

We are SE of Queanbeyan and get AM radio from Canberra. Since the NBN Fixed Wireless was installed we have had difficulty with ABC AM Radio (666 and 846) reception. The aerial on the roof generates very loud interference noise that peaks at various places on the AM band.

My testing shows that a battery powered AM radio works but anything powered by the mains gets interference.

I have tried powering the NBN equipment from batteries but get the same result.

My guess is that the unshielded cable between the wall unit and the roof mounter aerial is radiating and this is getting picked up by the mains as they share the "duct" in the wall.

Our interference only starts when the roof unit comes to life, i.e. 30-50 seconds after powering the wall unit.

Why is this cable not shielded?

I note that the plugpack does not have an earth lead. This means that it is all floating and will be radiating happily. Great!

So, how do I go about getting this fixed? NBN equipment is causing interference to my radio reception.

If I turn it off then reception is fine.

I am hesitant about waiting online for hours with telstra but I suppose that is what I will be doing.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

Have a look at the post I made on 19/01/2017, when for me the revised ODU and IDU once installed did not cause interference to AM Local Radio. Up til then there had been serious interference whenever the NBN FWB was turned on. If still problems post again and I'll add anything else that might help.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

I have the same problem, for the last two months I have been playing ping pong with Telstra and NBNNBN tells me to contact Telstra, Telstra tells me to contact the NBN

Then enters the ACMA that should investigate the issue, they will not accept the complaint because I cant list 3 neighbors.As a country user with no neighbors in my immediate vicinity I have no neighbors that experience the noise I am experiencing.

Re: NBN fixed wireless AM radio interference

I had the same or very similar problem. After 18 months it was eventually fixed when I prevailed upon NBN to provide me with the latest version of the Indoor and Outdoor Unit for the Fixed Wireless Broadband. If you go to the post of 19/01/2017 I've written up the result including images of the equipment labels.